BY ANDREA TORTORA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
WARSAW, Ky. - Students at Gallatin County Middle School are scared. After the suicides of two classmates this month, they are telling counselors they don't understand what's going on.
Parents want to know what educators can tell them about why two students killed themselves eight days apart.
The deaths of a 14-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl brought more than 400 people to the middle school Mondaynight to talk about what's happening with crisis counselors, police and educators. The parents of the girl told those in the gym they can think of no reason why their daughter would kill herself. Her father said he thinks she was upset about the death of the 14-year-old, a friend of hers, but said she was joking with the family shortly before she shot herself in the head.
Of utmost concern to parents were rumors that some students are part of a suicide pact, in which a list of students agreed to kill themselves, one by one, as the weeks go by.
"We have not found any evidence of that," Kentucky State Police Trooper Richard Miller said. "If there is something like that going on, we are going to nip it right now."
The boy shot himself in the head at home Nov. 5. He was found by a family member. Police said he used a gun he found at his home. An autopsy is being conducted. Friends said he was distraught over his mother's death from cancer this year.
The girl did the same thing Friday.Police said she shot herself in the head with a .32-caliber handgun about 7 p.m., while she was talking on the phone with a friend.
Her mother found her and she was transported to a hospital in Carroll County and then to University Hospital in Louisville, where she died Sunday morning. Police don't know where she got the gun.
Police and counselors with Kentucky's Community Crisis Response Board talked with students Monday and throughout the weekend. Superintendent Jim Palm said he does not think there is any type of suicide pact.
"The counselors told us today that they do not think there is a pact but that there are kids here who need help," Mr. Palm said.
Monday's meeting was planned to give parents a chance to learn about teen suicide, how they can talk to their children and how they can prevent such incidents from happening in their home.
But many parents said the meeting, which was open to the community but closed to the media, was frustrating.
"They're not answering our questions," parent Torie Price said after walking out of the meeting early. "They're supposed to be telling us how to help our children. Instead they're treating us like we need counselors."
Several times during the hourlong discussion, voices were raised to shouting level, order was lost and police had to restore quiet.
"I didn't get enough information to really comment," parent Kevin Burlew said. "I thought it would be about how to talk to our kids. Instead it turned into a shouting match."
Jared Shause, a student who said he dated the 13-year-old victim until two weeks ago, and other students told reporters the same thing they told counselors earlier in the day: They don't want people to think students at their school want to kill themselves. They want to talk about their feelings and their anger. They feel anxious and afraid.
"I don't want to go to these schools if people are killing themselves," sophomore Erica Beemon said as she and her mother, Fran, and sister, Noki, left the meeting. "The meeting didn't tell us what's going on."
Principal Bob Humble did not speak. He also declined to comment. Despite criticism from parents, Mr. Palm said the meeting achieved its goal.
"The crisis team said that stress is a normal reaction, which is what we had tonight," Mr. Palm said.
"I think a certain part of the population got the message, yes. A certain part of the population did not."
